SEAMEN WAGES COUNCIL WAGE REGULATION _g S.L.452.51 1
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 452.51
SEAMEN WAGES COUNCIL WAGE 
REGULATION ORDER
8th August, 1977
LEGAL NOTICE 100 of 1977, as amended by Legal Notices 118 of 1978
and 113 of 1990.
Title.
Regulation Order.
Field of operation 
of Wages Council.
2. The provisions set out in the Schedule to this Order shall
apply to all employees in respect of whom the Seamen Wages
Council operates.
Amended by:
L.N. 118 of 1978;
L.N. 113 of 1990.
SCHEDULE
1. (1) In this Schedule unless the context otherwise requires -
"boatswain" means an employee who takes charge of the deck
crews and performs other duties in accordance with instructions of
the ship’s officers;
"captain/master" means an employee who takes complete charge
of a vessel, safeguards passengers, crew, ship and cargo, controls
the speed and directs the course of the vessel, supervises the work
of the crew and ensures the maintenance and cleanliness and directs
subordinate officers in the performance of their duties;
"coxswain" means an employee who steers and controls the
speed of vessels and who may be in charge of small craft;
Cap. 252.
"customary holidays" means the days (other than Sundays)
declared for the time being to be public holidays by or under the
National Holidays and other Public Holidays Act:
Provided that an employee shall not be entitled to an extra
holiday if the customary holiday falls on a non-working day;
"employee in Category A" means any whole-time employee
wholly or mainly engaged on board light duty tugs or lighters;
"employee in Category B" means any whole-time employee
wholly or mainly employed on board heavy duty tugs;
"employee in Category C" means any whole-time employee
wholly or mainly employed on board any  luzzu ;
"employee in Category D'' means any whole-time employee
wholly or mainly employed on board a Gozo ferry;
2 _g S.L.452.51 SEAMEN WAGES COUNCIL WAGE REGULATION
S.L.452.28
"employee in Category E" means any whole-time employee
wholly or mainly employed on board yachts or pleasure boats and
includes any other whole-time employee (not being an employee in
any of the Categories A, B, C and D) to whom the Seamen Wages
Council Order applies;
"engineer" means an employee who is fully qualified to operate,
maintain and repair engines, motor pumps, condensers and other
mechanical and/or electrical equipment;
"engine driver" means an employee who mainly operates and
maintains engines and other mechanical equipment; 
"Gozo ferry" means any ship or vessel engaged wholly or mainly
in the transport of passengers and/or cargo on a regular schedule
between Malta, Gozo and Comino;
"heavy duty tug" means any tug employed in assisting ships
within the harbours and territorial waters;
"hourly rate" means the result of the division of the weekly wage
of an employee by the number of hours to which that employee is
conditioned;
"hours of work" means the time on any day during which
employees are at the disposal of the employer, exclusive of
intervals allowed for meals and rest;
Cap. 343.
"learner" means a person other than an apprentice who is over
the age of fourteen years and under the age of eighteen years and
who is receiving training in any calling to which this Order applies,
and in respect of whom the employer holds a permit issued by the
Director of Labour in terms of the Employment and Training
Services Act;
" luzzu " means any vessel including Gozo boats but excluding the
Gozo ferry, engaged wholly or mainly on the transport of cargo
between any of the Maltese Islands;
"night shift" means any period of employment that includes any
hours from 10.00p.m. of any one day to 6.00a.m. of the next
following day;
"part-time employee means an employee who is not a whole-time
employee;
"period of employment" means the time on any one day during
which employees are at the disposal of the employer, inclusive of
the intervals allowed for meals and rest;
"shift employee" means an employee who is regularly engaged
on alternate day and night shift work on a regular cycle basis;
"territorial waters" means territorial waters as defined by the
laws of Malta;
"time and a half" and "double time" mean respectively one and a
half times and twice the actual time rate applicable to the
employee;
"vacation leave" means leave on full pay;
"week" means a calendar week;
SEAMEN WAGES COUNCIL WAGE REGULATION _g S.L.452.51 3
"weekly day of rest" means a period of twenty-four consecutive
hours in a week commencing at the time at which the employee
would normally commence his turn of duty, during which the
employee is entitled to rest;
"whole-time employee" means any employee who is employed
for more than twenty-four hours spread over not less than four
days;
"watchman" means an employee who guards his employer’s
property against fire, theft, illegal entry and other related
contingencies.
S.L. 10.23.
(2) For the purpose of this Schedule any person who is
employed to carry out any duties the exercise of which requires a
licence in accordance with the Mechanically Driven Boats
(Passengers and Cargo) Regulations should be considered to be
employed as such only if he holds the relative licence required by
such employment.
Hours of work.
B, C, D and E shall be related to a week of five days, to be fixed by
the employer, of not more than -
( a ) forty hours of work in the case of whole-time
employees other than watchmen, or
( b ) forty-eight hours of work in the case of watchmen.
Minimum wages of 
whole-time 
employees.
3. Whole-time employees who perform wholly or mainly the
duties ordinarily pertaining to the calling specified in any category
in the following table shall be entitled to the relative minimum
weekly wage specified hereunder:
Provided that - 
( a ) whole-time employees under the age of eighteen years
shall be entitled to the relative minimum weekly wage
less - 
(i) Lm0.50 per week in the case of employees of the
age of seventeen years, or
(ii) Lm1.00 per week in the case of employees of the
age of sixteen years or under; and
( b ) any hours worked on a regular night shift basis shall be
compensated at the rate of one and one-fifth the hourly
rate applicable to that employee.
Table of Minimum Wages
CATEGORY A
(Light duty tugs or lighters)
Coxswain ............................................................... Lm35.63,0 
Engine Driver ........................................................  Lm35.13,0
Pumpman  .............................................................. Lm34.38,0 
Watchman  ............................................................. Lm33.38,0 
Seaman or other calling  ......................................... Lm34.13,0
4 _g S.L.452.51 SEAMEN WAGES COUNCIL WAGE REGULATION
CATEGORY B
(Heavy duty tugs)
Master  ................................................................... Lm39.13,0
Engineer  ............................................................... Lm37.63,0
Boatswain  ............................................................. Lm34.63,0
Greaser  ................................................................  Lm34.63,0
Watchman  ............................................................. Lm33.38,0
Seaman or other calling  ......................................... Lm34.38,0
CATEGORY C
(Luzzus)
Master  ................................................................... Lm39.13,0 
Coxswain ............................................................... Lm35.63,0
Engineer  ............................................................... Lm37.63,0 
Engine Driver ........................................................ Lm33.38,0 
Watchman  ............................................................. Lm35.13,0 
Seaman or other calling  ......................................... Lm34.13,0
CATEGORY D
(Gozo Ferry)
Captain .................................................................. Lm43.35,0
Coxswain  .............................................................. Lm36.63,0
Boatswain  ............................................................  Lm35.63,0
First Engineer ........................................................ Lm40.65,0
Second Engineer  ................................................... Lm38.63,0
Third Engineer/Engine Driver ...............................  Lm36.13,0
Seaman/Deckhand  ................................................. Lm34.13,0
Watchman  ............................................................. Lm33.38,0
Other calling  ......................................................... Lm34.13,0
CATEGORY E 
(Yachts, pleasure boats, etc.)
Skipper/Captain  .................................................... Lm39.63,0
Engineer  ............................................................... Lm37.63,0
Engine Driver  ....................................................... Lm35.38,0
Coxswain ..............................................................  Lm35.63,0
Boatswain/Mate  .................................................... Lm34.63,0
Seaman/Deckhand  ................................................. Lm33.63,0
Watchman  ............................................................. Lm33.38,0.
Minimum overtime 
rates.
4. (1) Whole-time employees other than watchmen shall be
paid minimum rates of overtime as follows:
SEAMEN WAGES COUNCIL WAGE REGULATION _g S.L.452.51 5
A. Monday to Saturday
(i) Hours worked in excess of eight hours on any
one day ..................................... time and a half;
(ii) Hours worked on the day of rest
.................................................. time and a half.
B. Sundays
All hours worked ........................................... double time.
C. Customary holidays
(i) All hours worked during the usual hours of work
had the day been an ordinary working day
................................................. time and a half;
(ii) All other hours worked on such days
...................................................... double time.
(2) Watchmen shall be paid minimum rates of overtime as
follows:
(i) for any hours worked in excess of forty-eight
hours in any one week ............... time and a half;
(ii) for any hours of work on the day of rest which is
neither Sunday nor the one instead of Sunday
...................................................time and a half;
(iii) for any hours of work on the day of rest which is
either Sunday or the one instead of Sunday
...................................................... double time.
Vacation leave.
whole-time employees may be entitled under paragraph 9, whole-
time employees shall be entitled to the National Holidays and to all
public holidays with full pay, and to the following vacation leave
not being less than -
( a ) four working weeks and one working day during the
calendar years 1988 and 1989;
( b ) four working weeks and two working days during the
calendar year 1990;
(c) four working weeks and three working days during the
calendar year 1991;
( d ) four working weeks and four working days during the
calendar year 1992 and during any calendar year
thereafter:
Provided that when a whole-time employee is in
employment for less than twelve months during any calendar year,
he shall be entitled to such part of the said vacation leave as is in
proportion to the number of months in employment.
(2) For the purpose of this paragraph "vacation leave" means
leave with pay which may be availed of on days agreed upon
between the employer and the employee, provided that one day
vacation leave during 1988 and 1989, two days vacation leave
during 1990, three days vacation leave during 1991 and four days
vacation leave during 1992 and during any calendar year thereafter
shall not form part of any shutdown and shall be granted by the
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employer as optional leave in addition to any optional leave the
employee may have been entitled to on the 9th November, 1988.
Sick leave.
Cap. 318.
6. All whole-time employees to whom this Order applies shall
be entitled in every calendar year to -
( a ) fifteen days sick leave on full pay less any sickness
benefit to which they may be entitled under the Social
Security Act, and
( b ) to a further period of fifteen days sick leave on half
pay less half the amount of any sickness benefit to
which they may be entitled under the Social Security
Act:
Provided that -
(i) a medical certificate certifying incapacity for
work is produced to the employer who shall
have the right, if he deems fit, to require his own
medical practitioner to visit and medically
examine the employee. For the purpose of this
paragraph, an interruption of employment of not
more than two months shall not be deemed to
break the continuity of service, and
(ii) employees shall only be entitled to any such
leave after six months continuous service.
Part-time 
employees.
7.  The hourly rate payable to a part-time employee shall not
be less than one and a quarter times the appropriate hourly rate
payable to a whole-time employee provided that any employee
working more than four hours in any one day shall be entitled to the
appropriate daily wage payable to a whole-time employee in that
particular category.
Minimum weekly 
rest.
8. All whole-time employees, other than watchmen, shall be
allowed adequate intervals for meals and rest of one hour in the
aggregate on any day on which the hours of work exceed six and a
half.
Minimum weekly 
rest.
9. All whole-time employees, other than watchmen, shall be
allowed Sundays as a day of rest in every week.
Bereavement 
leave.
10. All whole-time employees shall be allowed two days paid
on the occasion of the death of any of the following relatives: the
wife, husband, father, mother (or the person who at the time was in
fact acting as the father or mother), son, daughter, brother, sister, of
the employee.
Special leave. 11. ( a ) A whole-time employee shall be allowed three days
leave on full pay on the occasion of his marriage, and
two days leave on full pay on the birth of a child to his
wife.
( b ) A whole-time employee shall be entitled to up to ten
days study leave in any one year on full pay to obtain a
certificate in his trade:
Provided that study leave will be approved subject
to the production of the necessary information about
SEAMEN WAGES COUNCIL WAGE REGULATION _g S.L.452.51 7
the certificate in question by the employee and that he
will be bound to work for at least three months with the
company after the results are published. Such study
leave is not to be availed of more than twice for the
same certificate:
Provided further that if the employee opts to
terminate his employment before three months have
elapsed, the employee is bound to pay to his employer
the sum of money equal to the wages that have been
paid to him in respect of the number of days availed of
as study leave.
Jury service leave.
juror, be allowed time off as necessary, without any deduction from
pay to which he would otherwise have been entitled, so as to enable
him to attend to his duties at the Courts.
Injury leave.
Cap. 318.
13. A whole-time employee shall be entitled to one year injury
leave on full pay, less the full amount of any injury benefit to
which such employee may be entitled under the Social Security Act
in respect of any injury suffered by him during the actual discharge
of his duty but not due to any contributory negligence on his part.
Waiting time. 
minimum wages applicable to him for all time during which he is
present on the vessel or ship of his employer or elsewhere unless he
is present thereon in any of the following circumstances:
( a ) without the employers’ consent, expressed or implied;
( b ) for some purpose unconnected with his work and other
than that of waiting for work to be given to him to
perform;
( c ) by reason only of the fact that he is resident thereon.
Retiring age.
expected at the age of sixty years, such employee shall be given the
opportunity by his employer to retain his employment beyond this
age at least until the age of sixty-one years, provided that the
employee in question shall still be allowed, if he so wishes, to retire
at the age of sixty years.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is not part of the Order but is intended to indicate its
applicability).
The above provisions apply to all employees on board ships
regularly operating within the territorial waters of Malta, but do not
apply to employees working on board fishing vessels or foreign
going ships.
